RICOH GR & 21mm Converter lens...British Museum Photographs

[paulyrichard]

There's not much said online about RICOH's 21mm wide conversion lens and it's performance (other than some snobbery), but I thought I would give it a go and see what kind of resolving power it has.
Having said that I haven't had much time to put it to some good use yet due to my workload and the weather outside but I am itching to do so because from what I can see so far it is a quality piece of glass...

It's a heavy unit and outweighs the camera itself but if you happen to have the GC-6 half-case fitted (a' la moi) then it more than makes up for the weight because of the handier grip.

The rubber lens hood that comes with the lens is a lot of messing about in securing it's fit every-time you use this lens, because in order to protect the lens when not in use you will need to take the hood off so that the dedicated lens cap can be fitted. Both hood and cap do not work together and conflict with each other...Beware that the rubber hood is prone to deform if not taken care of.
There is a thread on the outside of the lens which will accept the dedicated lens cap but it certainly won't take a filter, the bulbous lens glass puts paid to that.
I had an idea of fitting a 62-67mm step-up ring to accommodate a filter and give better protection but i'm still checking this idea out and waiting for these items in the post. Anyway, if a step-up ring and filter can be fitted then that would offer a better option for a different lens hood to be used, if need be...

Right, i'm really so very pleased that I bought this lens because it performs really well. Up to F4 the lens corners are acceptable to good with better sharpness in the centre, at F5.6 and higher the whole frame is sharp, corner to corner and edge to edge. There is a little CA that shows up in using this lens but it's not bad and can be corrected quite easily.

In fitting this lens you will need to select the 'wide' option before use. In using this lens the focusing performance is still quick and accurate, even in Macro mode. Also, 'snap focus' can still be used too.
Anyway, this little unit really turns this camera into a WA specialist now, 21mm, 28mm and of course the 35mm crop.

Here are a couple of shots I took today at the British Museum...



British Museum - London '13 - RICOH GR - 21mm wide conversion lens

British Museum - London '13 - RICOH GR - 21mm wide conversion lens

 

[odklizec]

I love this building. It's been a while since I visited it last time. Thanks for posting your GW-3 findings!

 

[thelps]

Thanks for the post, I have the adapter and will get the 21mm soon.
The GR and 21mm a lens+sensor combo this is about as inexpensive a way to get a 21mm prime new these days.
There is perhaps a cheaper way but maybe not as compact.

I believe this lens has a 49mm thread and will screw directly onto a DP1 Merrill and some have reported good results with that as well.

 

[paulyrichard]

No worries, Pavel and Tim...

I have actually bought a second GH-3 adapter and hood so that now I have one adapter fitted with a filter and circular third party hood (for protection of the 28mm lens unit), and the second adapter fitted with the GW-3 21mm. This now gives me the ability of a quick change over just like changing a lens on a D-SLR.
I firmly believe in the GR and have a strong leaning to use it all the time, it never leaves my hands so that's why I have invested heavily in this camera, even if I have been very self-indulgent with it...

 

[riccadonna]

Thanks for samples, they look nice. Two questions about this combination. How severe is the barrel distortion, is it corrected by software? Second one. I don`t know if you have GXR camera but if you do, how does GR with 21 converter compares with GXR m-unit and VC15/4,5 quality and size like? I have the latter combination and it performs very well. I especially like VC manual dist and aperture rings, their settings checked at glance. I know GR and GXR are different animals and there`s 1,5mm focal and 1 stop advantage with GR but nevertheless.

 

[paulyrichard]

Hey riccadonna, I don't own a GXR camera but I have thought about picking one up at some point. Anyway, I can't help you with that comparison...
As for barrel distortion, it does occur but not extremely so. If you place any verticals on the extreme edge of the frame and up close you will notice some distortion but it's not extreme and can be corrected easily enough. I hadn't done no correction in my photo's above, although there is a very slight hint of some in the second photo on the left side of the frame.

Regards...